Anti-aging food #2

Anti-aging food #2 – Sweet Potato

In the southern island of Japan, there's a group of Japanese known as the Okinawans. The people that are renowned for their youthful complexions and not looking their age. So what is their secret to this fountain of youth? The secret is believed to be their diet. They feast on starchy root vegetables as part of their main diet, and one of these core vegetables is the sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes and other starchy root vegetables are anti-aging superstars. For years, nutritionists have advised us to fill plates with a variety of colors of vegetables - and not just the green variety. Conventional potatoes don't provide the same kick. The sweet potato provides sugar but unlike sweets, to provide a slow release and sustainable source of carbohydrates, essential to our energy and vitality.
In fact a recent study from China demonstrated how the purple sweet potato contains a naturally occurring anthocyanin, (a super powerful antioxidant that has neuro-protective effects). The potato is also rich in vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. This element is essential for preventing rough and scaly skin. It also helps protect the skin against sun damage and helps to balance the pH levels and promotes softer skin complexions. The antioxidant levels contained in the potatoes are so high that they are excellent for cancer prevention. So if one of your loved ones is a smoker, feed them sweet potatoes!
Another reason why you would want to include sweet potatoes in your diet is for its high hyaluronic acid levels. As we get older, these acid levels drop. Our bodies depend on this to keep our skin moisturized and the joints in our body lubricated. It also helps to maintain levels of collagen in our skin without resulting to bovine collagen injections.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Anti-Aging-Secrets---The-Sweet-Potato-is-the-Fountain-of-Youth&id=4467763


Oven Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 large sweet potatoes
1 generous tsp sea salt
1 generous tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Pinch of black pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into thin strips, and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, sea salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder, and toss to coat thoroughly. Place the fries in a single layer on a wire rack, with a baking sheet underneath.
Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes (taste to tell if they’re done), or until the fries are soft and delicious.
Serves 4 (um… 2).
Photo and Recipe above courtesy of www.sugarlaws.com
This is Sugarlaws ~ she is adorable, young and has HUNDREDS of recipes!!!! Click her picture to view her food!

Bon Appetit

~Cheryl~

somewhere over the rainbow …..

  I LOVE IT WHEN IT RAINS IN TEXAS

it can happen at any given moment and is always welcome.

rain in the warm weather beckons you to run out in it and dance like a child.

 this is a familiarity to me of growing up in michigan and adoring the summer rainstorms
 – but fearing the thunder and lightening - still.

in texas the rain blows in and out

just long enough to quench the thirst of the land.  just long enough to drench the earth so it can release it’s sweet aroma.

when the rain stops and the sun shines through the clouds

the warming of the earth starts beneath your feet. you begin to smell the steaming dirt, and witness the beauty of the millions of glistening droplets of water left on every blade of grass and each petal of the flowers!

beyond  words

and then, if all is right at just that moment in time ~ a rainbow or two

“somewhere over the rainbow”

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Anti-aging food #1

Anti-aging food #1 –  Avocado

Eye Cream: Build an eye cream by mixing 5 drops of almond oil with 3 ripe slices of avocado. Mix this mixture and dab it around your eyes. Keep it on for five minutes then rinse.

Facial Mask: Make a paste of ½ ripe avocado mixed with one tsp vegetable oil. Apply this paste on a washed and clean face. Leave it for fifteen to 20 minutes. Rinse it with warm water. This masque is very good for dry skin.

Avocados are a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat that can help lower levels of the bad type of cholesterol and raise the levels of the good cholesterol in your body. Avocado contains vitamin E and can help to maintain healthy skin and help prevent aging of the skin.  Avocados are also rich in potassium which helps prevent fluid retention and high blood pressure.

Avocado calories, serving size and nutritional values (click here)

Slice up an avocado and add to your favorite sandwich, burger, eggs, pasta, salads, soups, or chili for it's health benefits.  Visit recipes for meat eaters or vegetarians here http://www.avocado.org

Remember my favorite dinner from a previous post: click the picture to visit my recipe

Instead of adding meat (saturated fat) to your pasta ~ add the healthy texture of avocados and tomatoes!!!

Bon Appetit !